Abstract

Meniere’s syndrome is a long-term, progressive disease that damages the balance and hearing
parts of the inner ear. To address the paucity of information on which evidence-based treatment
decisions should be made, a systematic review of acupuncture for Meniere’s syndrome was
undertaken. The method used was a systematic review of English and Chinese literature, from
six databases for randomized, non-randomized and observational studies. All studies were
critically appraised and a narrative approach to data synthesis was adopted. Twenty-seven
studies were included in this review (9 in English and 18 in Chinese languages): three randomized
controlled trials, three non-randomized controlled studies and four pre-test, post-test
designs. All but one of the studies was conducted in China. The studies covered body acupuncture,
ear acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, fluid acupuncture point injection and moxibustion.
The studies were of varying quality. The weight of evidence, across all study types, is of beneficial
effect from acupuncture, for those in an acute phase or those who have had Meniere’s
syndrome for a number of years. The review reinforces the importance of searching for studies
from English and Chinese literature. The transferability of the findings from China to a
Western context needs confirmation. Further research is also needed to clarify questions
around the appropriate frequency and number of treatment/courses of acupuncture. The
weight of evidence suggests a potential benefit of acupuncture for persons with Meniere’s
disease, including those in an acute phase and reinforces the importance of searching for
published studies in the Chinese language.